Curtin Uni app comp goes national

Western Australia’s Curtin University has launched a national app competition that follows on from a successful local competition held last year.

While the details of this year’s prize are yet to be announced, the university is promising “significant resources” to help winners build and launch their apps, along with providing “a forum for interaction between applicants, finalists, entrepreneurs [and] investors”.

The oZAPP competition follows on from last year’s WApp competition, which received 95 submissions, and its winner, Big Help Mob (designed to help organize volunteers), was awarded cash prizes totaling more than $AU80,000. Other finalists last year included tools for diagnostic pathology, foetal heart monitoring, interior design and a gift register concept.

According to Curtin’s director of IP commercialisation Rohan McDougall, the momentum built last year made it clear that there was a national audience for the awards.